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If you’ve taken part in one of my cocktail classes you’ll remember one of my favorite cocktail quotes from one of my favorite cocktaillians, Dorothy Parker:

“I like to drink martini’s, two at very most, three I’m under the table… Four I’m under the host.”

Touché, touché… She is of course talking about an actual Martini: Gin, vermouth & orange bitters served with an olive or a lemon twist. Proper proportions for this classic cocktail:

2 1/2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Vermouth is an aromatized wine - so keep refrigerated and remember it has a shelf life of approx 2 months…if yours has been on your bar forever its probably gone off)

Dash Orange bitters (if you have them - if not Angostura Bitters will do)

I’ve spent the last few weeks enjoying the wonderful Vancouver weather, but I’ve also been quite busy creating summer drinks. I had the pleasure of mixing in the Maker’s Mark competition, unfortunately I didn’t win but it was a fun competition and I tip my hat to Lauren Mote of the Refinery for her creative winning drink! Check out the link for pictures & write up : http://scoutmagazine.ca/2009/06/10/citys-best-barkeeps-compete-with-makers-mark-at-boneta/

One of the Highlights of my year… I cocktailled with Bridget Albert while she was in town to promote her book: Market Fresh Mixology http://www.marketfreshmixology.com/bridgetalbert/

Bridget is awesome and I now have the privalege of calling her my friend! On our night out in Vancouver, I made a list of all my favorite places to imbibe, we didn’t get to all of them, I had a list of 10, we only crossed a handful off the list… I think I can die a happy girl knowing that I was able to make her favorite cocktail while we stopped at my studio for a drink

What is Bridget’s favorite cocktail? The Brown Derby

This cocktail was created at the Vendome Club circa 1930 to honor its Hollywood neighbor, the famed Brown Derby restaurant. The restaurant is gone, and its hat-shaped building has been demolished, but the Brown Derby Cocktail lives on.

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice

½ oz Honey Syrup (mix equal parts honey - hot water)

Shake all ingredients on ice for 10-15 seconds. Strain over ice in a highball glass.

In my small studio, I poured four shots of tequila and asked what cocktail everyone would like giving them two choices: The Last Word or a Brown Derby… This was before I knew Bridget’s favorite cocktail was the Brown Derby. I used my best antique glasses to serve a sample size drink for the four of us. From left to right: Shawn Soole (www.liquidrevolution.com), Bridget Albert, Me & David W.

Our second stop at West to visit David W

If you would like to visit me and sample some of my newest Summer Cocktails you can find me behind the stick at db Bistro (2551 West Broadway - www.dbbistro.ca); I’ll be at the 39th & Cambie St. Signature BC Liquor Store on Sunday, June 28th for mixology sessions between 1pm-4pm.  If you would like to book a private cocktail class I’m the resident Mixologist at Eden West in Port Moody (www.edenwest.ca).  Tracey has just expanded her store and has a wonderful space that accomodates up to 16 people.

One more drink… since Fathers day is coming up here is my drink from the Maker’s Mark Cometition:

Marjorie’s Flip (aka Fathers Day Flip)

2 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
3/4 oz Jasmine & Apricot Honey Syrup*
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Ginger of the Indies Liqueur
1 egg
3 drops Angostura Bitters
Lemon Zest Soaked in Chartreuse
Combine first five ingredients in a mixing glass; dry shake without ice for 10 seconds.
Add ice & shake for 30 seconds.
Fine strain into a highball glass.
Top the drink by carefully dropping 3 separate drops of Angostura bitters in a triangle on the top of the foam.  Use a skewer and drag it through the drops of bitters to form bleeding heart shape. Optional: Finish the drink by flaming the lemon zest over the drink and rubbing the zest around the rim, then discard.

*To Make Syrup:
Steep 1 heaping tablespoon of dried jasmine flowers or loose leaf jasmine tea in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes.  Strain the flowers out and add 3/4 cup of apricot honey creme (substitute regular or other flavoured honey) to the hot water.  Stir the mixture dissolve the honey.  Store in a glass bottle.
Specialty Honey’s and Dried Jasmine Flowers can be found at Granville Island Public Market.

This drink was inspired by Fathers Day, meant to be a drink best enjoyed at brunch (it has all the nutrients you need to start your day!).  Flips are a classic type of mixed drink which generally contains, spirits, egg, sugar & spice.  The jasmine flowers add a slight dryness to the sweet apricot honey and blend beautifully together as the modifier with the Makers Mark.  Traditionally spice was added to a Flip so I use Ginger Liqueur to give the drink another element of complexity.  The egg rounds the drink out and gives it a full bodied creamy texture.  I named the drink after Marjorie Samuels who as history states was a creative force in marketing Makers Mark.  I imagined a drink that she might serve Bill Samuels Sr. on Fathers Day and gave it a modern twist.

Cheers!

Happy Mixing

http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/museum/exhibit/01-FirstStirrings.html

The earliest known printed use of the word “cocktail” was from The Farmer’s Cabinet, April 28, 1803: Drank a glass of cocktail — excellent for the head … Call’d at the Doct’s. found Burnham — he looked very wise — drank another glass of cocktail.”

As per the above link from the Museum of the American Cocktail:

The earliest definition of “cocktail” was in the May 13, 1806 edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, in which an answer was provided to the question, “What is a cocktail?”. The editor responded and defined for all time what exactly the newly born cocktail was.

Since the Cocktail has become a dear friend of mine I am celebrating World Cocktail Week by imbibing in some classic cocktails. Yesterday I had the pleasure of sipping on one of the BEST Sazeracs EVER at RTL (http://www.r.tl/team.html) from Matt Martin the one of Vancouvers newest imports from New York.

I spied the bottle of Rittenhouse 23year on the top shelf and asked if I would be so lucky to have a Sazerac to celebrate… Matt pulled out a special bottle of absinthe for the occasion: Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe Française Supérieure 65°… my mouth watering. watching intently as he carefully concocted the drink before me.

1/4 oz Rye

1 bar spoon superfine sugar

Stir at the bottom of the mixing glass to dissolve the sugar.

When you are dissolving the sugar in the rye; start the preparation of the cocktail glass that you will be drinking this fine cocktail from. Fill the glass with crushed ice to chill. Some people; ie. me, like to add the Absinthe to the ice at this point. Not Matt he just chilled the glass.

Add 4 dashes Peychauds bitters and 1 3/4 oz Rye to the dissolved sugar mixture. Fill mixing glass with ice and stir for 30 seconds.

Discard the crushed ice from the cocktail glass that you are chilling. Wipe down the glass of any extra water. Add 1/4 oz Absinthe to the glass and roll the liquor to coat the inside of the glass. Discard the excess Absinthe into a shot glass and hand it to the patron on the bar who is salivating…

Using a Julep Stainer, pour the ice cold cocktail into the chilled & seasoned cocktail glass. Finish with Lemon Zest that is squeezed over the drink to release the oils, then rub the rind around the rim. At this point Matt asked if I would like the zest in or out. I like the zest in so he tossed it in and passed me the long awaited celebratory cocktail, and it was GOOD. Like the Elixir of Life had just touched my lips!

Tonite my twist on this I substituted 1 bar spoon of Honey Syrup for the super fine sugar, because I had the pleasure of receiving some excellent honey from Honey Ridge Farms (www.honeyridgefarms.com). To make Honey Syrup mix equal parts of your favorite Honey and Hot water. Store in a squeeze bottle or glass jar; refrigerate. This is the best way to use Honey in cocktails otherwise it is too thick and will just freeze when shaken into a drink. Diluting it with water gives it just the right viscosity for mixing.

Happy Birthday to The Cocktail!

Happy Mixing